


ESCAPADE

by chaneomeonim



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Bobby is a literal sunshine, Hanbin is a hard working man, M/M, Office AU, Slice of Life, Stargazing, bobby is concern about hanbin, but it will calm you, but that's alright, hanbin is tired, mention of depression, mention of stress, shouting and screaming, they will solve it together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 15:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaneomeonim/pseuds/chaneomeonim
Summary: Hanbin was surely living his best life. But he just couldn’t help it when he felt a big hole in his chest. He felt hollow, he was empty. He thought he already filled that stupid space with every little thing that made him excited and pleased, it wasn’t what that space needed. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what had gone wrong this moment. He just couldn’t pinpoint whatever that was.





	ESCAPADE

It was 7.50 pm when Hanbin glanced at a silver gold watch that wrapped elegantly on his left wrist. The time when he was usually done with all the works in his office if he didn’t stay the night for additional work or if he went home a bit early. A common Friday evening for him as an employee in a corporation. If you thought he was working for a big one, you were mostly right. He was working for a music company that was well known in South Korea. As a production staff for a famous company, Hanbin couldn’t say his salary was small, at least he could afford a medium class apartment, he could fulfill his daily need for a month, or he could give some to his family. He even had his own saving for retirement, he was wealthy enough for himself. He should be happy for everything that has been happening in his life right now. He could be considered successful for a person who was only 23rd years old. But, did he feel that way?

He just sighed at that thought.

A minute walk to the elevator in front of him felt like an eternity. The thoughts about being happy and having a freedom to be himself clouded his mind. He didn’t understand. This was the job he had wanted in his life since forever. This is the life he had paved since he was young, the one he had been dreaming about. Working in a studio, writing music while doing some ‘administration’ things (He was just happened to be good at writing music. His company of course didn’t want to waste away his talent), even having the songs he had created appeared in music chart. And it was his biggest achievement in life. He had that freedom he didn’t thought he had the privilege of as an adult. Doing things he love while properly living his best. The funny thing was he didn’t feel it was enough. Screwed the fact that he was only human, he was greedy and he wanted more. He just couldn’t help it when he felt a big hole in his chest. He felt hollow, he was empty. He thought he already filled that stupid space with every little thing that made him excited and pleased, it wasn’t what that space needed. Unfortunately, he didn’t know what had gone wrong this moment. He just couldn’t pinpoint whatever that was.

Shit, his thoughts had flied around too much he didn’t even realize he already entered the elevator and he didn’t push the ‘down’ button, he just stood there while foolishly daydreaming. 

“Oh, are you going home too?” a low cracking voice with a question startled him, restarted him back to reality. He blankly stared at the person beside him who touched that down button and let the elevator door closed by itself. He examined that person when his mind wasn’t entirely with him yet. He was even suspicious when the image of a person beside him slightly blurred. Was his mind playing trick on him or he couldn’t focus himself because he was too busy with his own world?

“Hey, are you okay right there, man?”

Hanbin was surely shocked when that person did one step and got closer to him, their faces maybe were 5 inches only, made Hanbin stupidly stumbled and took one step backward then let his back hit the glass wall of the elevator. He had to gather his consciousness quickly before he passed out in front of a stranger who was too friendly to him. The person who witnessed Hanbin’s interesting behavior just quickly smiled while scratching his neck although it wasn’t itchy. “I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable. You look a little bit out of the place so I assume you need help.” After saying those words, that person turned his head to face the elevator door again, didn’t want this situation to be more awkward. 

Hanbin didn’t know why but somehow he felt guilty, he didn’t mean to give out such a reaction to that person. It was just his mind and his body weren’t fully connected to each other, that was why he seemed lost. Hanbin had the urge to apologize when he heard the elevator ‘ding’ sound and it stopped immediately. It was the signed that they had already arrived in the first floor and it was time for them to be separated. 

“Well, see you around.”

Hanbin could see that person’s slightly purple hair getting far away from him. He then noticed a smile and white teeth was showing up, a bunny-like front teeth that could be seen. Hanbin didn’t respond to that farewell greeting immediately. His brain was processing the picture of this person so hard until it was clicked and Hanbin weirdly ran toward that person who almost crashed onto a glass door.

“Wait!!” Hanbin stopped and grabbed that person’s shoulder, he bent while inhaling the air that was slightly thick around him. He controlled his breath and touched his knee with both of his hands. That person raised his left eyebrow as he watched Hanbin panting for oxygen and then stood straight right away. Tried not to express a sly smile or snickering at Hanbin, because, who wanted to be kicked by Hanbin in the shin when he was in his emotional state. That person just let it went by, fixed his composure and listened to Hanbin.

At the other side, after his breath was slowly steady. Hanbin came face to face with that person, yeah, the one he had thought for a while in that elevator ride, he surely was confused to death when he appeared to be a bit embarrassed with his action, he couldn’t care less, he took a deep long breath.

“I’m sorry, Bobby. I didn’t recognize you right there. And thank you for your concern, it was always happened lately. I felt numb and a little bit disconnected from reality.”

Hanbin didn’t fully lie, but he wasn’t that honest too. He couldn’t recognize his coworker who had worked with him for almost 5 years. That was really pitiful, what a freaking shame.

Without Bobby’s acknowledgement, a nod that came from him had erased all Hanbin’s problematic emotions about ignoring his coworker, Hanbin could feel Bobby’s affirmation had washed away his guiltiness and brought him to another perspective of understanding someone. Even though he could say he rarely did this, clearing a misunderstood between each other had showed him he could be better if he tried to learn people well, Bobby for example.

“No problem, I was just scared that you had been possessed or something but you were exactly not in that position. And you’re going home right? Why don’t we go home together? I know you live in the same neighborhood as me, but why didn’t you tell me about that?”

Those 3 questions had given Hanbin the most anxious and critical moment in his life. He was fidgeting and he didn’t have to tell himself that he was already in a big mess. Why did he stay silent and tense a little when all Bobby asked was whether he was alright or not? Why did Hanbin have to feel guilty and dumbly chased Bobby down the lobby just to say sorry? Why did Hanbin shut his entire being down when Bobby knew that they lived in the same resident and Bobby wanted to accompany him while going home wrong? Was it wrong, wasn’t it?

Why Hanbin didn’t have any answer to those endless questions, Why he couldn’t utter a reason. He was clueless. He just simply didn’t know why.

“Hey!” 

Once again, Bobby shook Hanbin’s right shoulder to get him back on track. He trapped in his mind a lot. Bobby even wondered if there was something mentally wrong with his coworker that stood not far away from him.

“Ah?”

The only word Hanbin could deliver at this point, and maybe Bobby had caught the clue to not question him any further.

“Let’s go. Get a grip of yourself before you fall.”

Bobby aimlessly grabbed Hanbin left hand and got outside that big office, walked a bit to the nearest bus stop and didn’t have any intention to let Hanbin’s hand go. While Hanbin had surrendered, he just let Bobby took him to wherever that person wanted to be.

“It feels great to be out of that suffocating place. I know, working there is lovely. But once in while you just need to relax and let yourself out from your own cage. Sure, you only live once, but it doesn’t mean you need to be free forever or strictly stick to the rules forever. Don’t let those emotions tie you down, but don’t let them set you free all the time.”

Hanbin’s eyes were getting bigger and bigger as Bobby finished his sentence at the moment they sat on the bus and rode themselves to nowhere. Bobby looked at Hanbin right at the moment and their eyes met. Hanbin directly shifted his view and saw the street from his glass window. He could see people on the sidewalk, went to their destination. There are some people who wore headset and neglected the world around them. Some people walked fast while some people enjoyed the trip with their loved ones. Hanbin stared at them longingly, he was bounced back to reality when a random assumption stabbed his brain and tortured him inside.

Did Bobby just read his mind to calm him down or did Bobby just want to reassure him so people would not presume him as insane? Therefore, Bobby might feel an obligation to keep Hanbin from bothered stare that people could give at him.

The thoughts swirled around in his mind and Hanbin didn’t like it any single bit. He felt pathetic of himself, he didn’t want to be degraded just like that, he didn’t need to. He could escape from this problem and pretend it never happened in the first place. So, as a form of protest, He forcefully threw Bobby’s hand and stared straight at the said person, who had an unexplained expression on his face. 

“Did you plan this?”

“Plan what?”

“This thing.”

“What do you mean by ‘this thing’, bin?”

“Are you trying to look down on me right now?”

“Bin, stop assuming dumb things at me, why would I do that?”

“So, why are you being so kind to me, even too kind?”

Bobby exhaled loudly but then gave an odd patient look to Hanbin, yes, it was odd for Hanbin because He never saw Bobby treated people like this before. He was too carefree, too ignorance in Hanbin’s eyes. Hanbin couldn’t even decipher what was going on when Bobby was chose to be the most wonderful employee last year. That title was too high for a person like Bobby.

“You can say I’m being too kind at you or I’m being too nice for your taste, but maybe I just feel like I want to cheer you up after I saw you hit your head on the wall in the rest room at our office a few hours ago.”

He remembered hitting his head to the wall while muttering some stupid shits about being too hard on what he was doing so he was deliberately overworking himself and how he should get a life outside that office. But he didn’t remember having someone except himself in that place. He was sure of that because he was totally immersed in his own thoughts.

To his surprise, he was noticed by someone, and that person was sitting beside him at this moment. To ruin his reputation more, that person even asked Hanbin to travel with him to God-who-knew where. Hanbin wasn’t aware of his surrounding and this was what he got. He should be ashamed of himself, he should be.

 

The bus has been traveling for almost 30 minutes and neither of them made a sound after Bobby said the reason why he wanted to accompany Hanbin. Hanbin guessed he would just be home in a minute because even if Hanbin said it felt like they were going to an unknown place, Hanbin had sensed that both of them just needed to settle down back home, took a rest and enjoyed the weekend alone. The solution for their hectic minds was not with each other company, Hanbin wouldn’t blame Bobby for his kindness, of course. But being together wasn’t good for them either. They were just like oil and water, they didn’t blend well. Hanbin accepted that condition, that was why when Bobby told him that they should go home together, Hanbin was stuck in frozen state. They didn’t have to start a war just because Hanbin seemed like a random confused person and Bobby with his good deed wanted to help him. In Hanbin’s mind, the possibilities of why these entire moments happened were just getting jumbled and chaotic.

Everything went downhill when they arrived at another bus stop close to their apartment. Hanbin was ready to get off the bus but his body was held back by two arms, strong arms that enveloped his torso while the one who owned just sat still on his seat. Hanbin could easily escape from that grip because of his slim feature but his body didn’t permit it, he was too tired to fight and he slipped onto his seat again, dead exhausted was showed from his eyes. He turned his head to the left when he watched how Bobby gained his composure after holding him and made him stayed in the bus again.

“You said this is a ride to home, we’re already home, so why are you pushing me back?”

Hanbin asked, he was annoyed, but his voice betrayed him. He said with a soft tone while Bobby turned to his right and now was facing Hanbin. Bobby looked at Hanbin’s eyes while Bobby examined the colour of Hanbin’s eyes carefully, They were warm chocolate. Unconsciously, Bobby got closer, closer than what he had done in the elevator while Hanbin slowly backed away, corrected his posture on his seat. Bobby did the same, but this time, a playful smile appeared on his face.

“Going home and isolating yourself from the world will not do you any good, believe me. I’ve been through a phase when I would lock myself in my room and look at my plain ceiling. I did nothing for the whole day because some bullshits happened and it destroyed me in some parts. But from that experience I learned that it was hard to be alone when you were stressed out or depressed, at least you need a person to comfort you or provide you a safe space to just rant, scream, nag, or cry. Let your negative emotions out or even treat you well so you can get back on the right track. It’s a long road, I know, it takes time and effort, but it will be worth it. That’s why I can’t let you go. You know, it’s really hard to see you smile lately. Even in the studio when they record your song. You’re looking at the singer, say it’s a good recording and then go from the room without any words or so on. I don’t know what has been concerning you but I want to help. I’m sorry if I sound too impudent or If I consider your privacy a problem but I need you to understand that where things go wrong, you know that you have my back. I will be there for you.”

The words echoed in Hanbin’s head while he was gaping in front of Bobby. He didn’t know how to respond to that great advice. He didn’t even know that Bobby has been noticing him a lot, in every movement and every chance he got. He didn’t know Bobby was there and gave Hanbin that much of attention. He was still clueless when he suddenly felt very horrible. How if everyone in that office had been worried about him but they didn’t want to ask Hanbin because Hanbin was easy to get angry? He didn’t want to imagine that. It would be a disaster if it was happening, a bit of attention from someone has caught Hanbin off guard, he didn’t need any of that.

“I’m okay, I’m fine. It’s not a big thing.” Hanbin had to painfully tell the opposite. He didn’t admit the truth because it wasn’t that big. It was just a hole in his chest that needed to be filled but he didn’t know with what. It’s not a catastrophe, Bobby didn’t need to sacrifice his time dealing with this dumb shit Hanbin discovered. 

But Bobby did.

“I don’t want you to lie at me after seeing your condition with my own eyes. So now sit, unwind your stiff body or sleep. It’s already 10 pm. You must be feeling weary after all this confrontation.”

Hanbin kept his thoughts quietly. It had been a wild journey with Bobby yet they haven’t even arrived in their real destination. He got to see another side of Bobby he didn’t know before. He got to understand Bobby’s point of view and the way he approached things. He showed Hanbin that it wasn’t wrong to care for someone. A person you considered stranger at first could be the one who managed to look through you and healed you from inside. 

Without any second thought, Hanbin let his head fell on Bobby shoulder and tried to sleep away all negative feelings he had built in his reckless mind. Bobby who witnessed this just formed a calming smile and let Hanbin used his shoulder as a pillow.

 

The bus had finally stopped in its final destination. There weren’t a lot of people in the bus. There were like 7 to 8 people in total and they got off the bus one by one. Bobby saw them as he softly touched the top of Hanbin’s head and caressed his hair. “Hey, wake up!”

Hanbin opened both of his eyes and woke up from his sleep, he studied his surrounding and stared at Bobby in the end. Bobby once again smiled cheerfully at him and took Hanbin’s left hand with him.

“Come on.”

They walked slowly out of the bus and directly greeted by a strong but outstanding breeze. It was cold and windy in this place. Hanbin only wore a thin t-shirt and blue jeans, but it was alright, it wouldn’t be a burden for him when he still couldn’t believe the scenery in front of him. They were in a beach at midnight, the sky was clear with no clouds, he could see all the stars blinking at him and giving him such a unique comfort. He could hear the sound of wave splashing and hitting the rocks around the beach. He was overwhelmed, This scenery got him sitting on the sandy beach and cried. Bobby who looked at Hanbin and followed to squat beside him. He rubbed Hanbin’s back and whispered some supporting words to him. Hanbin was feeling grateful, too grateful at Bobby.

“It’s okay. You can let them out here. You can shout as hard as you can. You can do anything here without any pressure from anybody. I will just watch you from afar.”

Bobby took some steps back from Hanbin and sit down, he glanced down at Hanbin then stared at the sky, capturing the view with his eyes to be saved in his brain. 

With weak legs to stand on, Hanbin forced all power that left in his body to work with him this time, he looked at the big mass of water in front of him and started screaming loud.

“I won’t let myself feeling empty, I won’t let myself down. I can cry if I want to because I can’t be strong all the time. I know I have a big hole to fill in my chest, in my head. But I know, someday I can fill it with the right thing. I know I can do it and nobody can tell me otherwise. I’m happy being alone and enjoy myself as my favorite company. I don’t need to rush thing because it doesn’t matter. The only thing I need to improve is me, myself, and my own perspective of this world. I want to be happy with who I am and continue to be what I want to be.”

Hanbin screamed so loud, his voice even started to crack. But it warmed his heart to the point when he didn’t want to think negatively about himself anymore. It certainly calmed his mind and he felt like he rearranged his thoughts again. It didn’t repair all of destructive thoughts he had, but he could feel the urge to change came from himself and not from anyone else, only him.

Hanbin couldn’t describe how thankful he was to Bobby, he didn’t dare to imagine it.

“Finish?” Bobby called from his position when Hanbin turned around and smiled lightly at him, a sincere smile he had hid for a while.

“Yeah.”

“It feels good, doesn’t it?”

Hanbin only nodded while walking closer to Bobby who has stood up from sand. Bobby put his hand on Hanbin’s head and started messing with his hair while Hanbin just leaned a bit to that touch. He wanted to stay in this moment forever, he wanted this tranquil moment forever played in his mind. He appreciated it with Bobby in his side.

“How about we find some seafood restaurant here and then head home, what do you think?”

Bobby saw from his peripheral vision how Hanbin’s mood had drastically changed. Bobby was happy with this result, he was pleased he could help a person to get away from their dark shadow.

Especially a person who was important to him and he adored the most.

“I’m cool with that. it has been really long since the last time I ate seafood.”

Hanbin answered, his eyes were sparkling. In the dim light of street lamps, Bobby could definitely see that. He was hoping this magical moment would never end.

It’s the same with Hanbin, He surely needed to thank Bobby with this sudden but meaningful occasion. He should find a way to pay him back. He still thought a way to do it when he felt a warm hand grabbing his, and Hanbin’s world started whirled around.

“Earth to, Hanbin. There’s 24 restaurant in our left. We should go in.”

Hanbin held that warm hand hesitantly, but then smiled and let those weird thoughts came to him, he just let it passed by and nodded along with Bobby’s request as they went into that restaurant. He was sure he could do the ‘thank you’ thing later. For now, with a person he had a crush on for the longest time in his life, he should just live in the moment and be free with himself. No worries to be handled, just a happy him, and a happy person beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> HIIIII GUYSSSSSSS  
> OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD  
> YOU DON'T KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM, FINALLY PUBLISHING MY STORY IN AO3 AFTER SOME PERIOD OF DECIDING TO DO IT OR NOT. IT HAS BEEN LONG SINCE THE LAST TIME I MADE FAN FICTION AND PUBLISHED IT ON THE INTERNET. BUT HERE I AM, ONCE AGAIN, DOING MY FAVORITE THING AND I'M FEELING SO GREAT ABOUT THIS.
> 
> well, you can say that this story is unbeta-ed, so pardon my grammar because English is not my first language. You can share your thoughts about this story in comment section, all comment will be appreciated. 
> 
> DOUBLE B MOMENTS HAS INCREASED LATELY AND THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN SHOW YOU HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE, I SURELY CAN'T WAIT FOR THEIR HIP HOP DUO ALBUM AND IKON'S COMEBACK.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you enjoy it, until then, see you around!


End file.
